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Bronx tenants sue to remove allegedly negligent landlord

Submitted by Flint on Fri, 04/02/2010 - 10:18

More than two-dozen Bronx tenants are suing to have their landlord removed from their 56-unit apartment building and replaced with an independent administrator. The suit claims that the landlord, Semper Fi Management 4, has for years failed to address nearly 1,000 building code violations at 2710 Bainbridge Avenue, close to 200 of which are classified as emergency, the suit says. The building, along with 2356 Lorillard Place and 1820 Grand Concourse, which are also owned by Semper Fi, has been identified by the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development as among the 200 worst in the city. Among the violations cited in the suit: collapsing ceilings and walls, broken door locks, leaks, rodents, roaches and no hot water. The tenants are seeking to take advantage of a law that allows one-third or more of a building's tenants to request that a judge appoint an administrator to take over the property and make necessary repairs before handing it back over to the landlord. Semper Fi Management is headed by Frank Palazzolo, who was not immediately reachable for comment.TRD